Storage battery.



if. ENGEL.

SORAGE BATERY,

APPLICAUQH mio FEB. al 1909.

1,182,257. lmmd May 9, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET L FRANK ENGEL, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK U. S. LIGHT & HEATCORPORATION, OF

TION 0F NEW YORK.

lApplication filed February 19, 1909.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, F RANK ENGEL, a citizenofthe United States, residing at But falo, inthe county of Erie andState of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inStorage Batteries, of Which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to storage batteries.

.An object of the invention is to provide improved means for supportingthe battery plates. I accomplish this and other objects in the mannerillustrated in the. accent panying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a planof a two cell battery embodying the invention.` Fig. 2 is a. sideelevation thereof, the right half ot' the drawing .being in section onthe line Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line of Fig.l. Fig. i is a perspective view of the support for the battery plate.Figs. 5 and (i are perspective views of the negative and positivebattery terminals respectively. Figs. 7 and S are plan views of the endsof the terminals shown in Figs. 5 and G respectively, the same showingthe appearance of the minus and plus signs respectively.

In the drawings similaiI reference characters denote similar parts.

The type of battery illustrated is especially 'applicable to carlighting or under other circumstances where the battery is subjected toconsiderable vibration. In this form there is an outer box or casing l0consisting preferably of wood. To render it portable it may be provided.with rollers 11 and handles 12. Within this casing is a Water tightlining 13 of slleet lead or similar material, and it is desirable thatthe space betweei the casing and the lining be filled with sdme suchsubs-tance as paraffin, as indicated at 14. As the lining is water tightit will lcontain Without leakage the dilute sulfuric acid solution orwhatever electrolyte is employed. Inside the lining are placed sheets 15of rubber or similar insulating material, the purpose being to preventContact between the lining and the battery plates or electrodes 16. Saidbattery plates, ,when properly assembled, alternate with ,/eaeh other,there being first a negative, then a positive plate, and on. The majorportion of the Weight of thee plates is carried by supporting bloel's17,

Specification of Letters Patent.

, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, A'CORPORA- STORAGE BATTERY.

Patented H seriai No. 4223,991.

which consist of porcelain or other insulating material and arepreferably of the shape approximately of a triangular prism. Theseblocks are removably mounted in a particular manner which constitutesone of the features of improvement. .i plate 18 of a size slight-ly lessthan the horizontal area of the inner lining is placed loosely in thebottom ot' the vessel and has overturned lateral edges and :it suitableir vals lugs 19 thrown up in position to l.ngage the lower lateral edgesof the insulating blocks 17. These lugs are integral with said plate andare formed preferably by tan'iping.

They are comparatively1 short Einl conse quentlyY dofnot materiallylessen trength o't the plate. As the lugs eng only the edges and not theends of tlii.- insulating blocks, the blocks may be slipped out endwisefor cleaning or renewal, iii/0pt 'alien the plate is within the casing,at ffhich time the blocks are held from cndwise movement by the ends ofthe lining 13. jas a result of this construction the supporting blocksand plate may be removed at any time for cleaning. This greatly increaswthe durability of the battery and facil. s inspection, for during thenormal acti; tery of this kind sediment fro forms an insoluble sulfate ucollect beneath and around the )orte and attacks the lead lining and weid in time destroy it. `With the blocks and plate removable as in thisconstruction. the parts may be Jfrequentlyinspected and cleaned, andsuch harmful action prevcnei'l.

Although not essential, it is desirable that strips 20 ol bass-wood orother sub stance be interposed between the bottom of the insulatingblocks and the p` bottom 18. These serve to ci blocks and save them fromtl vibration they would receive if they came into direct pecially whenthe denser electrolytes are employed. I prevent any rise of theseparators by means of rods 23, 23 of'hard rub-v ber or other suitablematerial passing through apertures located in the battery plates justabove the upper edges of the separators. When the battery plates arelowered into position the rods will be prevented from endwise movementby the ends of the receptacle, and no other securing means is necessar`'y Each battery plate is connected to one or the other of the batteryterminals 24, 25, depending upon whether the plate is a negative or apositive one. The base portion 26 of each terminal is cylindrical tofacilitate its. fitting into the circular apertures provided for it inthe cover 27. The upper portions of the terminals are flattened toafford greater contact surface for the wires lead ing to the exteriorcircuit.

In practical use it is essential that the user should be able to tell ata glance which ter Ininal is positive and which negative. Markings havebeen employed for the purpose, for example, red paint or other pigmenthas been 'applied to a specific one of the terminals. But this isunsatisfactory as the pigment is apt to wear 0H and the user is liableto forget which terminal it is intended to indicate. I have producedpermanent means whereby the user may readily distinguish which is thepositive and which the negative terminal. At the middle of the fiatupper portion of the positive terminal 24 are formed two extensions 30,30 with the result that when viewed directly from above, this terminalexhibits the plus sign thus^ which is known by every one who is at allfamiliar with electricity to always indicate positive as distinguishedfrom negative. In my battery the negative terminal 25 is left plain andwhen viewed from above exhibits merely a narrow rectangle extendingaerox the circular base 26. This rectangle has the appearance of theminus sign, thus, -s, which is well known to represent negative indistinction to positive. Consequently by merely glancing down upon thebattery terminals from above the positive sign will ,gagcd ou one sideby one of said et appear on the positive terminal and the negative signon the negative terminal.

In the preferred construction the side ex tensions 30 of the positiveterminal are formed by con'ically tapering the upper end f thecylindrical base 26 except at the flat upper portion 24 and at the saidextensions, the latter being raised from the base and having their uppersurface lying in a liorizontal plane.

' lith the construction as above described, the positive and negativemarkings are so large and plain and substantial that they may bedistinguished froin a distance, and practically can never be destroyedfrom the effects of ordinary use.

What I claim as new and by Letters Patent, is:

1. A support for battery plates comprising a plate of noirresilientmaterial, opposite edges of said plate being upturned and bent over atan acute angle to the surface of said plate. integral lugs struck upfrom the face of said plate and bent over at angles to said surface,certain of nl lugs being bent toward each of said bentpver edges to formunder-cut guide-maj nd blocks of insulating material provid 1, ith wide,flat bases shaped to interlock with said undercut guidcways, wherebysaid blocks may b-e attached to and detached funn said plate only by asliding movement parallel with the plate surface.

2. Supporting means for storage battery electrodes comprising a leadplate having a pair of inturned opposite edges, interincdiate lugsstruck up at an angle from said plate, triangular bars of insulatingmaterial arranged ou said plate, and a strip of rushn ioning materialbetween each of d bars desire to secure and said plate, certain of saidbars being en res and on the other side by certain of d lugswliei'eby-said insulating bars are 'iii to said plate.

Witnesses:

T. G. Su/ANNIE, ROBERT BRADEN.

